Sunday Under Glass
by SatsumasAndElephants
Summary: Howard and Vince find themselves in an unfamiliar setting. Oneshot.


Right so I wrote this _ages_ ago but I've been too shy to post it until now. I had this idea that Howard and Vince sort of get shelved away in a little box when I'm not writing about them and that was the theme that I based this story on. Hopefully it makes more sense when you read it, I'm rubbish at explanations.

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately I own nothing from The Mighty Boosh. **

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The taller man sat staring at the cream coloured wall ahead; he was surrounded by cream coloured walls. His small eyes darted around the room searching for some means of exit but there wasn't a single door in sight, not even a window. The only furniture was the small black sofa on which he was perched and a varnished table in the center of the room holding a vase of wilted violets. He frowned and turned his gaze to the smaller man leaning against the wall across the room, wearing obscenely tight drainpipes, a luridly painted t-shirt and a pair of Chelsea boots. He was tapping one foot ever so slightly as if marking an imaginary beat that only he could hear. The taller man, who happened to be called Howard Moon felt a small smile creeping across his face; Vince was in his own little world as usual.

He had no idea how they'd gotten here, how long they'd been there, how long since they'd spoken. One minute they'd been minding the shop, the next they were…here. But where was here? Heaven? Hell? Or perhaps somewhere in between he thought, remembering his brief visit to Limbo with a shudder. A million thoughts buzzed through his head like so many flies, how would they get out of here?

_Could_ they get out?

Would Naboo save them?

Did he even know where they were?

He felt a sense of enormous panic welling up in his chest, what if they _never_ got out of here? What if they were stuck here _forever_? What would they do for food? They'd have to eat each other. Vince would hardly make a meal, he was all skin, bones and hairspray, he'd have to do the honorable thing and offer himself up. He shook his head to dispel the disturbing thought, why was he thinking of that? He had to keep a clear head if he was to figure out a way out of here, for surely there _must_ be way out, he was a man of action, he had to stay strong for Vince's sake, he had to- His train of thought was cut off abruptly as the room was plunged into darkness. The entire room gave a violent shudder that knocked Howard off the couch

"Don't kill me I've got so much to give!" he shrieked.

"Shit" Vince cursed from afar. The room trembled slightly for another moment and the stopped as suddenly as it had started. Tentatively Howard pulled himself to his feet, dusting himself off"Vince?" he called softly, "Vince?" He started to panic when there was no immediate answer "Vince? Vince! Oh god Vince."

"Mm over here Howard" Vince groaned, rubbing his head and trying to feel his way back up the wall.

"Where's here?" Howard called back.

"I dunno" Vince moaned.

"Follow my voice" Howard shouted. Vince slowly began to feel his way along the wall in the direction of Howard's voice.

"Howard?"

"Over here little man."

"Keep talking, I think I'm close."

"Vince? I can hear your footsteps."

"Reach out your arm" Vince instructed. Howard obediently held his arm out into the darkness. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a pair of hands clasping around his forearm.

"Howard!" Vince exclaimed excitedly throwing his arms around his neck. Howard stiffened slightly and patted the smaller man awkwardly on the back. Vince, remembering that Howard didn't like to be touched quickly relinquished his hold and settled for clinging to the edge of Howard's cardigan.

"Where are we Howard?" he asked in a small voice, sounding even more childlike than usual "What's happened?" Howard could picture his liquid blue eyes glinting with fear even in the pitch darkness.

"I dunno little man," he confessed, gently maneuvering the two of them back over to the sofa and into a sitting position. Vince's foot caught on the back of his leg and he fell into Howard's lap with a girlish shriek.

"Oof" Howard grunted.

"Sorry Howard" he murmured apologetically, Howard grunted in response and helped Vince clamber over him onto the couch, silently praying that one of Vince's boot-clad feet wouldn't find it's way into his crotch. They sat together for a long moment in silence, predictably enough it was Vince who broke it.

"Howard?"

"Yes little man?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, I don't want to bum you or anything-" Howard raised an eyebrow in the darkness "but do you think I could hold your hand?" Howard was silent. "Just until the lights come back on," Vince added hastily.

Howard hesitated for a moment before reaching out to clasp Vince's smaller hand in his own, resisting the impulse to pull away as he felt the smaller man's slim finger's intertwine with his own. He hadn't always had an aversion to being touched but early on he'd learned that if you allowed people to get too close to you, invade your space they had the power to wound you, tear you down tooth and nail. He'd vowed never to let anyone get that close to him for any reason, no sir, he was Howard Moon, self-reliant was his middle name, he didn't need anyone else. He hadn't been touched in so long that even a simple gesture like a hug made him feel claustrophobic, but somehow sitting here holding Vince's hand in this dark windowless prison felt strangely right, almost liberating in a twisted sense as though some invisible bonds that had been holding him had just been broken.

"Howard?" Vince whispered softly "We're going to be alright aren't we?"

"Course we are" Howard replied in a voice much more confidant than he felt "Don't you worry little man, as long as I'm here nothing can harm you" he gave Vince's hand a little squeeze. "We're a double act remember? Moon and Noir, we always come out on top, that's how the show works."

"So what do we do now?" Vince asked.

"We wait."

And so they sat there, the Jazz Maverick and the Electro Poof, Vince wondering what it might be like of he could hold Howard's hand outside of this darkened room and Howard thinking that maybe being touched wasn't so frightening after all, provided certain people were doing the touching. Neither knew how they were going to get out of this particular fix but for now they were content just to sit and enjoy each other's company.

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End file.
